“Seek glory to the north, my child, for it is Genalleth beyond Kevareth that we now hold, and Thalion that we yet will.”

This is the first in a new series of unofficial Gazetteer gaming aids for enthusiasts of the world of Mystara. This work covers the remote Realm of Wendar which lies at the northern end of the Known World.

“Realm of Wendar” provides descriptions of the history, society, and personalities of a land where elf and man live together under the protection of the mysterious Elvenstar. Here dangers menace from every direction, and adventurers answer the call of duty.

This product also provides guidelines for single class elves and introduces the poignant animal that legend called the Korrigan.

OverviewInspiration: General Fantasy with Carolingian/Frankish ElementsNation: The Realm of Wendar, a federation of estates and homesteaders sworn to the Wizard-King Gylharen of the City of WendarThe Idrisian Influence: repeated invasions by humanoids and Denagothians over time, loss of northern estates, current subterfuge and corruption by agents of several Denagothian powers (the Shadow Lord, the Onyx Ring, the Temple of Idris, the Strands)

SocietyPrimary Races: Evenly split between Genalleth elves and Renatic or Heldannic humansMinor Races: Halflings and dwarves (Dawnblossom-Qvar), gnomes (Bynflaare Hall), Denagothian humans/brutesLanguages: Wendarian Elvish for elves and most humans, also: Heldannic, RenaticReligions: The Folkways, Neuel-ethin Orie (The Precepts of the Korrigans), the Cult of Idris, Heimsleidh (The Way of the Land)Groups: Wendarian Pathfinders, Sonnoleth Rangers, Heroes of the Realm, High Lords of Genalleth, The Strands, Elanoitanam Monks

Relation to Other Areas
The Genalleth were once united with Denagothian elves under the short-lived kingdom of Enoreth. The Wendarian region has suffered multiple attacks from Denagothian forces. The southern half of the Northern Wildlands were once elven (and human) estates; now the humanoids and frogmen that hold them make occassional forays into northern Wendar. Five Great Northern Campaigns were waged to contest these lands and those of northern Wendar. Several groups of humans have passed through Wendar from Heldann; most recently, the rule of the Heldannic Knights have driven native refugees into Wendar. Thyatian Legionnaires aided Wendar during the Wizards' War earlier this century, granting the Realm a limited awareness of Ghyr and the Hill and Dale. Strange monsters wander on to the Sonnoleth Plain and western Wendar from the Adri Varma Plateau. Trade with neighboring Glantri is restricted by the long routes skirting the Wendarian Range.

Special ContentMonsters: the KorriganTreasures and Magic Items: the Elvenstar, the Shrines of the Korrigans, The Tower of Anorion, Holmgard, the Sword of Nione, the Barrel of Containment Special Rules: Age Limits for elves and humansNew Classes: Single-class ElvesTop Troublemakers: dragons, the Strands, Denagoth and the Shadow Lord, the traitorous Camla, international politics, the ambitious High Lords of Genalleth

Postscript NotesHistory: The humans who aided the early Genalleth were Vanitar Antalians guided by Frey. The humans that preceded them went on to become the Murians, Hagommerians, or Midland tribes.Neighboring Standard or GazF Maps: Glantri, Heldann, Denagoth, Northern WildlandsElvish Linguistics: The basics of the Elvish grammar for forming names was reverse-engineered from names created for the GazF gazetteers for Wendar, Denagoth, and the Northern Wildlands and from names in official products.Map Alterations: The map of Wendar on which the Gazetteer was based was updated by the original cartographer. the new map includes the addition of rivers, relabeling of shrines and other sites, and moving a few locations or changing hex terrains. Wendarian Standard: The standard is shown as a pennant on the map The Denizens of Denagoth. The color and basic design were based on descriptions in X11, while the nine points were chosen to match with the nine Korrigans.Conflicts with Official Material: Wendar has been interpreted as a human nation (X11), an elven nation (Gaz3, Gaz5) and a nation split between the two (PWA/JA). The last interpretation was chosen for GazF. To balance similar issues, the Wizard-King Ghylharen is here treated as generally human with elven ancestry. The PWA was inconsistent with the timing of the Wizards' War, the gift of the Elvenstar, and the creation of the Realm. The Wizards' War and the Elvenstar gift were set at 3 generations ago (cf. 30 years prior in X11), so X11 is still playable in the current era.

Production History and SourcesTimelines and Descriptions

Updated Wendar Timeline (Lord Juss, 2006) [likely to be adopted in large part for forthcoming pdf re-release of GazF1.]

Btw, I thought I should let you know that it was this Gaz that inspired me to have my first campaign outside the main Known World region (i.e. outside the official gaz regions). Thank you for taking me and my group over the horizon!

Hugin wrote:Btw, I thought I should let you know that it was this Gaz that inspired me to have my first campaign outside the main Known World region (i.e. outside the official gaz regions). Thank you for taking me and my group over the horizon!

As I am very much retired from actual gaming, that's the small bit of attaboy that helps me do this book after book.